Shoe Stores
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 4,300 shoe stores in the US sell most types of new footwear and related items. Major product categories include women’s footwear, men’s athletic footwear, women’s athletic footwear, and children’s athletic footwear. Shoe stores may also sell clothing and accessories, such as socks, belts, hosiery, and jewelry. The shoe store industry includes national chains, regional chains, franchises, and independent operators.
Managing Highly Seasonal Demand
The shoe business is highly seasonal and driven by the fashion calendar, which generally revolves around fall and spring collections.
Dependence On Foreign Sources
Imports account for about 98% of footwear sold in the US according to the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA).
Industry size & Structure
The average shoe store employs fewer than 10 workers and generates $9.4 million annually.
- The shoe store industry consists of 4,300 companies that employ about 171,600 workers and generate $40.5 billion annually.
- The industry is concentrated; the top 50 companies account for 82% of industry revenue.
- The shoe store industry includes national chains, regional chains, franchises, and independent operators.
- Independent shoe retailers average two to four stores, employ seven workers per store, and carry an inventory worth $250,000 or more, according to National Shoe Retailers Association (NSRA) survey. The average per-pair price is $88.
- Large companies include Footlocker, Genesco (Journeys, Johnston & Murphy), Caleres (formerly Brown Shoe and parent of Famous Footwear) and DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse). Large firms may have stores outside of the US or operate the shoe department within another retailer.
Industry Forecast
Shoe Stores Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Sep 19, 2024 - Sales, Employment Down
- Sales for shoe stores fell year over year for the fourth consecutive month in June 2024, declining 5.6% compared to a year ago and down 7.8% from the previous month, according to the US Census Bureau. Producer inflation increased 3% in July 2024 compared to a year ago, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment levels and wages for shoe stores fell 1.6% and 4.1%, respectively, in July 2024 compared to a year ago. Average wages for nonsupervisory employees at shoe retailers were $22.83 per hour in July. Personal consumption expenditures rose 2.6% in June year over year and were up 0.2% from the previous month, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
- Footwear prices fell for the first time in a year in August 2024, declining 0.9% year over year, according to data from the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) in Footwear News. Women’s shoe prices decreased 2.4% in August 2024 year over year, and prices for children’s shoes were down 2.6% during the same period. These declines offset an increase of 2.2% in men’s retail footwear. Year to date, overall retail footwear prices are up 0.7%, the same as the first eight months of 2023, according to Gary Raines, a chief economist at the FDRA, in the Footwear News report. By segment, men’s and women’s footwear prices were up 2.2% and 0.6%, respectively, year to date, while children’s footwear prices were down 1.4%.
- Consumer confidence levels increased in August 2024, according to data from The Conference Board. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index was 103.3 in August 2024 from 101.9 in July 2024. Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, noted that confidence was the highest among those over age 35 and those in the income category of over $100,000. Plans for large appliances and smart phone purchases rose on a six-month average basis. Plans to buy a home dropped to a 12-year low while plans for car purchases improved on a six-month average basis.
- The US shoe stores industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.7% between 2024 and 2028, according to a forecast from Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. The expected growth rate is slower than the overall economy's projected growth. Factors that continue to limit consumer spending are higher price levels and interest rates, though both are expected to improve in 2024. Post-pandemic, consumer spending has shown slower gains of 2.5% in 2022 and 2.2% in 2023, supported in part by savings amassed by households from federal pandemic relief programs. According to the forecast, "2024 may bring further deceleration, but improving consumer sentiment may support moderately strong gains in household spending, together with rising wage rates and lower inflation."
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